Mysterious Tiny Door in San Francisco Tree Replaced with Inferior Model

Outrage in Golden Gate Park.

Nothing like whimsy to bring out the best in people — and everyone's worst thoughts about  government.

A tiny, finely crafted, stained-wood door affixed to a hole in a tree in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park — so fine that many attributed it to a fairy, elf or other mythical woodland creature — was removed by San Francisco Recreation and Park Department workers and replaced with a less-than-equal model, according to the RichmondSF blog.

The original little door had touched peoples' hearts and made headlines around the world. But for some reason, it disappeared on Tuesday. Rec and Park responded to the outcry and replaced it... sort of.

PHOTOS: The Mysterious Tiny Door in Tree

"But there’s a catch — what they put back is not the ORIGINAL door," the blog reported. "Rec & Park, despite telling local media that they had no plans to remove it, did just that."

The department said that it's policy to remove anything bolted to a tree. So it's odd that they would do so, only to replace it with a different door custom-made to fit the opening in the tree.

At some point in the future, the door — as in, all doors — will be removed permanently.

WATCH: The Mystery of the Tiny Door in a Tree

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